PERU AND MACHU PICCHU

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So when i last wrote we were taking a bus tour around Arequipa. It was very informative and we got good views of the surrounding volcanoes that sit around the city. We also went up to a view point and found some local dancers that were making some sort of video. Their dress was very bright and colourful and involved old and young, men and women. My photos on facebook best show what they looked like. They even got me and Stacey involved and we started dancing with them with our back packs on!! We went to a Llama farm where we saw Llamas in their pens and there was lots of information about Alpacas and Llamas and where they are found and the differences with their wool and fur. We then saw women weaving the wool making clothes and scarves.

The next day in Arequipa we just relaxed and went for tea. We found a good place in Plaza de Armas which did a meal deal, 2 courses and a drink for 15 soles, which works out at less than 4 british pounds, value for money there!!! An american man distracted us and ended up talking to us for over an hour, not letting us get a word in edgeways, which then resulted in us nearly missing our night bus to Cuzco, but due to Peruvian time always being later than scheduled we made it.

We woke up and we were in Cuzco, surrounded by green hills and lush countryside. We got to our hostel and were really tired so we chilled out in the tv room til we could check in. We took a walk around the city getting our bearings after check in and had photos taken with women and children with llamas!!! The next day we decided to do a warm up walk along a trail of ruins that were close to the city. We walked up the hill to the first ruins which were called Sachsaywaman. They were quite big and extensive and sat on top of the hill which overlooked cuzco. There was also another statue of Christ that sat next to the Inca ruins. We took some photos with christ, and then walked on to the other ruins. We got a bit lost and visited two sets of unexpected ruins which werent very big and you couldnt walk around. We then got back onto a main road and kept walking expecting to find the second ruins, but instead we had walked further than we thought and we were at the third set of ruins. We had walked 3 miles and most of it was uphill in the sun!! So we looked around Puka Pukara pleased to know where on the map we were. Then we walked down back to the second set of ruins called Q´enko. There was a cave there with a seat made of stone in the cave. The sky was very grey at this point and as we were leaving the ruins it poured down, so we managed to pull over a strange mini bus and jumped on which took us back to the city. We then got dropped off in a unknown place in the city, i got the map out and navigated our way back!! We had an early night as we started our 7 day excursion the next day.

So day 1 was just literally spending the day ourselves in cuzco. Because we had already done that, we just took the opportunity of being in a hotel, and sorted out our day bags and the things we were going to leave in storage. Took a nice long hot shower and watched our tv!! We had a briefing about what we needed on the trip and times and places and activities. Me and Stace then went out and bought a poncho. We also had to get a water bottle as we werent allowed plastic bottles on the Inca Trail. We ordered and paid for sleeping bags and a stick each to rent.

Day 2 was spent around the Sacred Valley. We stopped off first at a quechua community and saw how they weaved with alpaca and llama wool. I bought some souvenirs and we then drove in the mini bus to a view point of the valley. It was beautiful and you could see mountains with glaciers on the top. Next we took an hours walk around some more ruins where our guide Percy told us how they built terraces into the mountain to stop mudslides. It was very clever. There were holes in the mountain opposite to the ruins and he said this was were they mummified the dead and put their bodies in large pottery baskets and pots.

After this we visited Ollyantaytambo, which was the last ruin on the sacred valley before the inca trail. It was a big set of ruins, where opposite in the rock you could make out the carving of a gods face. If you look carefully in my photos, you may be able to make it out. There were also lots of terraces again, and Percy expalined how they got the stones up from the quarry to the top of the hill to build the city. Very clever stuff. We stayed our last night in a hotel had another briefing, went out for a meal with the gang and then went to sleep ready for the start of the Inca Trail!!

Day 3 was our first day trekking. We drove an hour in the mini bus to get to the start of the Inca Trail. We took our photos then set off. Our guide Percy taught us how to chew coca leaves correctly, chew then slide to the side of you mouth, keep them there for half an hour and suck on the juices that come from the leaves and its meant to relieve the symptoms of altitude sickness and give you energy. He also explained that on route there were lots of different relay stations that were used by the Incas to pass on messages throughout the Empire. We got to camp around 2pm had lunch and then a nap. Woke up for tea and got an early night for an early start the next day.

Day 4 was the hardest day of the trek. We were going to climb Dead Woman´s Pass at 4200 metres above sea level. We woke up and the weather was not so good. We got our macs out and began the trek. It was very hard and you had to keep a steady pace, stopping for breathes every 5 minutes because the altitude was taking your breath away!! I was the second person out of our group to make it to the top, which i felt was an achievement!! It was very misty and wet and you didnt have a good view from the top. We took our photos and then began our long descent on the slippery wet inca steps. People slipped over including Stacey, but we finally got to camp. We had lunch again napped and at tea time, our cooks baked us a cake! I dont know how they did that, because they were camping too and carrying all of the equipment with them!!! We then got introduced to our team of porters and cooks. There was about 20 of them in total for 12 people. We found out their age, where they came from, most of them were from the Quechua communities, (Inca communities) and how many children they had!! Was fun. We then got again an early night as the next day was an even earlier start and was 8 hours of trekking.

So we awoke, and Percy told us that the 3rd day trekking was the most beautiful and he didnt lie, it was lovely. We were walking very close to the edge at times, and there were caves that we walked through, we saw Humming birds and the landscape on the mountains was very green. We stopped for lunch and had the pleasure of toilets that were holes in the ground. Then we continued for another 3 hours or so and got to camp. At camp there was a lodge where you could have hot showers and buy drinks. I passed on the shower, what was the point when you had 1 day left! But i did buy an Inka Cola, it tastes like Irn Bru!! We had jelly for pudding which i was very excited about but again was very puzzled at how they made it set!! We then had a tipping ceremony with the porters and thanked them for their hard work. Then bed. We had to wake up the next day at 3am.

So 3am came and the weather was awful, it was raining heavily and was really windy too. We all had breakfast and then set off for the entry point that was to open at 5.30. We got their early to queue and we were the second group.

So at 5.30 we were let in to the trail heading towards the sun gate. We got to the Sun gate but due to the weather, by that point it had stopped raining, but it was very misty, we couldnt see Machu Picchu. But it was a long walk up to the sun gate so when we got there we were all relieved.

Then it was downhill all the way to Machu Picchu. We got there and it was absolutely amazing! We took our photos, then went down to get our tickets then we walked back up to the ruins and Percy took us on a Machu Picchu tour. He explained who discovered the ruins, why they are so well preserved and why the Incas fled from here. He explained what some of the rooms were and why there were windows facing the way they were, it was down to astrology and the Incas were very clever and must have understood alot from astrology. Then we had free time to explore. So we took a walk around, took photos and then sat down and relaaxed in the atmosphere.

We met the group at 1.30 in Aguas Calientes for lunch before we caught the train down to Ollyantaytambo. From here we them got a private bus back to Cuzco which took 2 hours.

Once arriving in Cuzco we all arranged to meet for a celebratory night out! So we ate, sorted out our bags and got ready to party. When we were all in the bar we tipped our tour guides, Percy was the main one and there was a second guide called Jeiko who gave us high fives whenever we reached the top. Percy and Jeiko were really nice people and good guides. They were both Quechuan and were very proud of their Andean ancestors and enjoyed telling us about them. Percy even on the third day played his pipes, which looked like a recorder and played us some Andean music!!

The night out involved Pisco Sours and cerveja. Everyone enjoyed themselves and our group bonded really well. Was sad to say goodbye!!

For the next two days in Cuzco we chilled out, slept, got over our hangovers, and watched films, then me and Stacey got a night bus to Lake Titicaca.

We got to the hostel, had a snooze, and then explored Puno. We took a walk to the lake which had random sheep grazing on the dried out bit near the port!! We sorted out a trip to the islands for the next day, had lunch, took a walk around Plaza de Armas, there is one of those in every Peruvian city, and then chilled out in the hostel. Puno looked very poor and we got a sandwich for 1 sol 50 which is less than 50p.

The next day we got up early for the tour. We visited two islands, the first one was hilly, we had to walk up steps which we didnt appreciate very much after just completing Machu Picchu. We saw the locals and how they dressed and our guide showed us a belt that a wife would make for her husband. On one half she would weave patterns and the second half of the belt, the husband would weave with the hair that was collected for over a year of his wife, it was very strange. I took a photo that you should be able to see the belt and the hair on facebook!

After this island we went to the floating islands of uros. There are many of them and they are all made from reeds!!! They cook with reeds, they eat the white bit of the reeds, their houses are made from reeds. It was very interesting and skillfull. Even their boats were made from reeds and we took a boat ride in one!! We got back from the trip around 6 ish and chilled out for the rest of the evening.

Today we are going to cross the border and go into Bolivia. So we are now waiting for the bus. We will still be on lake Titicaca just on the Bolivian side, the lake is seperated almost in half. Bolivia is known for its cheapness which is good for us, and is on the altiplano. Puno is at 3800 metres above sea level, you can feel you are at altitude. Sometimes you get short of breath having done very little. So we are now up to date i will keep you all posted!!!

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